The Dickinson press., 1887-11-26
A SAUER KRAUT MILL.
HOW THE POPULAR EpILlE IS
PREPARED FOR MARKET.

HOW THE POPULAR EDIBLE is
PREPARED FOR MARKET.
Immense Proportions of the Business in
ChicaEo-Cabbage Raising "a Profitable
Industry-The Cutting of the Cabbage.
In the Tank.
off You want to know how sauer kraut is
made I'd better explain from the beginning"
said Mr.. johnson. Experience has taught
me that instead of raising cabbage plants
here i'll glass houses in winter time it is
cheaper and better to raise them in the south
from the seed and then transplant them to
Illinois when the weather becomes warm
enough. The plants are more hardy, larger,
and l can get them set out several weeks
ahead OF the dollhouse growers. We have
nearly IN acres of land i'll Tennessee, Flor
ida and Illinois IN which we grow nothing
but cabbage. We plant the SEED in Iennes-
SEQ i'll March and then transplant the plants
i'll car loads to Florida ami Illinois. There
are from 3O.0D to 100000 plants i'll n car
load. Sounds hig, but its true. The cabbage
planted i'll Florida from Sept. Is to Dec. l
ripens from Feb. l to June Is. We nave had
new cabbage as early as Christmas down
south, but that's unusual. Here we plant
from May to July, and the cabbage is ripe
from August until frost comes. October is
the big month"
"Do you raise all your w cabbage"
Don't begin to do it. We buy over sou, 600
worth Of cabbage every Year from farmers
around here aud those in Iowa. There are
five car loads of Iowa cabbnge standing on
my side tracks now. No: Iowa cnbbage usu-
allyis not as good as Illinois, but this year it's
better because they've had more rain there
than we've had. Farmers for miles around
bring their cabbage to us. See that string of
wagons along that street." and he pointed to
a rowe of wagons loaded with cabbage like so
much hay.
After the first wagon load of cabbage had
been weighed it wns hauled to n large, long
building, two stories, or really one and n half
stories III height. The sides were open, and
with Il pitchfork the cabbage was tossed into
the upper floor just like hay is put into the
NOW. But instead of being scattered over
the floor the cabbage is piled up in a space
about fifteen feet in width, Il board nailed up
to the inner rafters preventing it from going
farther. After the cabbage was unlou,lcd the
driver took from n lower platform n load of
cores and outer leaves of cabbage. This is
fed to their cow and is said to do them rs
much good MS the sauer kraut does human
beings.
We'll so inside now and Ill show YOU
where those cores and cabbage leaves come
from" said Mr.. johnson, leading tho way.
Had l known what it was l would lave gone
there first. Ranged around the room, to call
1t that, at equal distances apart, were thirty
two girls working as busily as bees.
In her right hand each girl held an instru-
ment which can be describeda asa huge Cheese
trier," one Of those things you stick in cheese,
give it n twiil, and then pull it out, to test its
miteyness, You know. Well, those girls
treated the cabbage like one would cheese.
Drawing one down from tic pile with a spite
full little dig she'd thrust the knife into the
side of the core, give her wrist Il couple of
twists, and the whole core would come out as
nicely as could be. They were very expert
at it, and could core $50 cabbages an hour
with ease. After the core was removed, with
three or four blows with the knife the outer
leaves of the cabbage would lie whipped off
with all the worms, dirt and insects, and
showed into a trough, from which they fell to
the platform described before. AT the same
time the clean head of cabbage was thrown
back of them on to a big, broad platform,
running the whole length of the room. On
this platform were half a dozen women armed
with hay rakes, and as the cabbage was
thrown on to it the women pushed it to the
center Of the floor, where four men took it
and fed it into n machine somewhat re-
sembling the stones of n grist mill.
A very interesting AMI important part Of
sauer kraut making is the cutting of the cab
bage. As wine depends greatly on its age
for flavor and quality, so does sauer kraut
depend upon the manner in which the cab
bage is cut. To be firm and crisp, yet tender,
tho cabbage must be cut i'll long thin slices.
To chop it up fine, as could be lone much
easier, would practically be to spoil it, or
render its value much less. After expert
menting for over five years n knife was i'll
vented which does the work i'll the most sat
i~sfactory manner. By means of n shaft i'll
the center it is made TO revolve very rapidly,
and eight kniye slice the cabbage as neat rs
a butcher could a steak. The knife can cut
meat, too, as some of the operators have
found out to their sorrow. This wheel of
knives is about thirty inches in diameter, and
will cut from $4,000 to 10000 pounds of cab
bage a day, depending OIL the skill and energy
of the feeders.
Four feeders work, although only one can
feed if desired. The head of cabbage is laid
on the wheel and the pressure Of the hand
causes it to disappear in u few seconds. Be
meath the wheel is u Y shaped chest or box,
into which the cut cabbage falls. When it is
full a big truck, holding 400 pounds of cab
bage, is showed under it, the right side of the
chest is pulled back, and the cabbage falls
into the truck. The girls who cut the cores
from the cabbage stand Oh q platform raised
about three feet from the floor below the one
OH which the cabbage is unloaded.
When one of the trucks is filled il is pushed
along n gangway by two lusty young men
and into q big building N11S4 feet. This is
called the packing house. Never having seen
the vault of n brewery, l can't say it looks
like one, although / judge it does. 1t is filled
with huge tanks 90 feet in diameter and IL
feet deep. There are twenty-eight tanks III
this building and ten tanks i'll an adjoining
building 32x96 feet i'll dimension. Each tank
holds 400 barrels of sauer kraut, worth nearly
$4,000. Thus the thirty-eight tanks, if only
filed once n year, contain Sl93 900 worth OF
sauer kraut. In each tank ARE two big
strong men wearing long rubber boots.
When a truckful of cabbage is dumped into
the tank they tramp 1t down. The object Of
this is to break the fiber sufficiently to let on
the water, so the salt, which is plentifully
thrown over it, will take action at once. Ii
other words, it is to facilitate fermentation
The sole ingredients of sauer kraut are cab
bage and salt. Worms and insects might i'm
prove the flavor, but they are religiously ex
cluded.
1t takes saur kraut from two to four week
to cure or ferment, depending on the temper
allure OF the cabbage when put i'll and the ut
mosphere afterward. It can be kept as LON
as desired, and, like wine, improves with age
But it is not kept in the tanks. After fel
mentation it is placed i'll barrels holdin
thirty-two gallons each, and headed up O
tight as an oil barrel. Then it is shipped i
any quantity desired all over the country
'Hassler" i'll Chicago Inter-Ocean.
Facts Conserving Strawberries.
Strawberries are said to he particular
wholesome as a corrective of the conditio
produced by malarial disease. The white Q
an egg contains as much food as twelv
pounds of Strawberries. -Chicago News.